A few days ago, the famous two-weekend music festival Coachella wrapped up for the year, and no performance had people talking more than Justin Bieber’s highly anticipated comeback, headlining both Saturdays on the Coachella stage.
Bieber’s set design was surprisingly simple: an oval-shaped structure that resembled the aesthetic of his new clothing brand SKYLRK, which was also available for purchase in the desert alongside brand-new official JB merch, of course. It was Bieber almost entirely alone on stage during his two sets, only bringing out special guests and collaborators for certain songs, like The Kid LAROI for ‘Stay’ and SZA for ‘Snooze’. Dressed in a plain top, baggy black jorts, and oversized boots, he kept the focus completely on the music.
Both performances began with songs from his most recent album, ‘SWAG’, before Bieber decided to take both the live audience and livestream viewers at home on a nostalgic trip down memory lane. In one of the most talked-about moments of the festival, the singer pulled out his MacBook, searched himself on YouTube, played the ‘Baby’ music video on the big screen, and sang over it live. He repeated the same concept for several other iconic tracks, such as ‘Beauty and a Beat’, ‘Confident’, ‘Never Say Never’, ‘Favorite Girl’, ‘That Should Be Me’, ‘One Time’, and ‘Up’, plus many more.
But even in the throwback thrill, it was the joy on Bieber’s face while reflecting on his early success and legacy in real time with all the crowd that was impossible to miss. This might have been the happiest we’ve seen Bieber perform in over a decade. And in that decade, he has been through enough: from his public health struggles and personal battles to marriage and becoming a father to his first child with model and beauty mogul Hailey Bieber.
All of that seemed to disappear the second he connected with fans in the crowd, grabbing their hands, letting them take photos and videos up close, and singing with them instead of just for them.
Having grown up as a massive fangirl myself – not necessarily of Justin Bieber – my personal highlight of Coachella 2026 was when Billie Eilish was unexpectedly pushed on stage by none other than Hailey Bieber to become the ‘One Less Lonely Girl’ for the night on the second Coachella weekend – an iconic tradition Bieber kept during his early live shows where he would bring one lucky fan on stage during the song.
Eilish stumbled onto the stage, visibly overwhelmed, and couldn’t stop crying – and honestly, neither could I. Even though she has built an incredible legacy for herself as an artist, won multiple Grammys, and even an Oscar, I just know this was probably one of the biggest full-circle moments of her career. The fact that she is not only friends with her idol and his family, but also got to experience such a defining moment for her inner child, was genuinely beautiful to watch.
Bieber also brought out Big Sean during his second set to perform ‘As Long As You Love Me’ and ‘No Pressure’, who, before leaving the stage, took the opportunity to give a heartfelt speech about the star and his decades-long success: “You taught all of us to believe in ourselves. You showed us what purpose was. You dedicated your whole life to this, man. You gave us your whole life. I think I speak for everyone when I say, thank you.”
However, after the performances, there was plenty of online discourse comparing Bieber’s set to those of other headliners, especially female pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter and Addison Rae. Critics called out the lack of production, the “unprofessional” laptop moment on stage, and the overall simplicity of the performance, especially when artists like Carpenter went all out with elaborate stage design, costumes, choreography, and nonstop energy.
But I think that misses the point.
Bieber is in a completely different stage of his career. He started when he was 13. He is already established. He can drop an album overnight with zero promotion, and it will still climb to the top of the charts within hours. He doesn’t necessarily need to perform at all, but we’re lucky that he still chooses to.
To me, this performance felt more like a tribute to his younger self and his YouTube beginnings. The internet is where he came from, and he used it to reconnect with the fanbase that built that journey with him. I’d even argue that this stripped-back approach made the show feel more intimate and personal, even with 150,000 people watching.
It has also been said that Bieber rehearsed every detail beforehand – every fan-favourite song was intentional, every Wi-Fi glitch was calculated – all to make the performance feel as personal and authentic as possible. Referring back to his iconic paparazzi beach moment from last year, which many believe was also a carefully planned marketing move for his latest album, you could say Bieber was definitely standing on business.
And if you don’t get where he was coming from, maybe it’s just not clocking to you.
Written by Vicky Madzak
GEM Magazine 